STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to aid Western Europe in which the US gave $12 billion in economic support after World War II

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday a Marshall plan was needed for Syria, similar to a Western agreement to help post-war Germany.

Speaking after talks with his Syrian and Iranian counterparts in Moscow, Lavrov said unlawful sanctions against Syria would harm its civilian population and there was no alternative to a political solution to the country's civil war.